Book Week Fun: School visits, new books and character parades (and a really great competition too!)

Book Week is certainly one of my favourite times of year! This year is the 70th annual CBCA Book Week and the theme is Books light up your World. Aside from the fact that books have been lighting up my world since I was a young child, now, as an adult, I am living my dream, writing stories that children seem to enjoy reading. I also love being inspired by life stories or transported by my imagination to faraway places and times, whilst sitting in my home, reading a good book.

Being a children’s author is such a privilege, especially at this time of year, when we authors have the opportunity to meet so many children and rejoice in our love of books and reading. As a young child, I could never have imagined meeting an author- and now, something that I love most about being an author is meeting the wonderful children who inspire me to write.

From 22 August to 29 August, schools all around Australia will be holding book parades and book fairs to celebrate children’s literature (although I think many celebrate before and after that time). Book Week really needs to be renamed Book Month!

I’m certainly looking forward to celebrating next week with students from Roseville Public School, Kings Langley Public School, Rydalmere East Public School and Pymble Ladies College. This past week I’ve visited St Andrew’s Cathedral School, Vardy’s Road Public School, Cobbitty Public School and St John the Evangelist in Campbelltown. The enthusiasm and love for books and stories has been inspiring!

In the August Newsletter, we are running a great competition! All you need to do is dress up as your favourite Alice-Miranda or Clementine Rose character (anyone from the books and there are hundreds of characters!), take a photo, subscribe to my Newsletter and send in the photo for a chance to win some of the latest Alice-Miranda or Clementine Rose releases. Each month you’ll get a newsletter sent to your inbox with loads of news and activities and there’s always a competition too! Winners can only be chosen from people who have subscribed to the Newsletter.

Happy Book Week to everyone and if I don’t see you this week, keep an eye on the events page of my website, as I have loads of School and bookstore appearances planned before I fly to the United Kingdom in late September.

Oh and the countdown is on – only 10- more days until the release of Alice-Miranda In the Alps!! I can’t wait and will be appearing at Castle Hill, St Ives, The Children’s Bookshop Beecroft and at the fabulous Children’s Book Council Big Book Day Out. Check the events page for full details.

Comments

The truth is that my 10 y.o. daughter started reading your books at school with Clementine Rose and ended up winning the state medal for reading every year with Alice Miranda and dresses up like her for book week too!! Now she’s getting over her comprehension problems and only looks forward to meeting you asap for her book to be signed!!! 🙂 xx

Thank you! It’s so flattering to hear that your daughter is enjoying the stories. If you managed to get a photo of your daughter dressed up as Alice-Miranda, please subscribe to the Newsletter and enter the August competition. She could have the chance to win some of the latest Alice-Miranda releases, including Alice-Miranda in the Alps, which will be released in 3 days!

Check out the website http://jacquelineharvey.com.au/upcoming-events/ as I have a few book store visits before I go to the UK, Hong Kong and China in late September. If you could manage to bring her along, I would be delighted to sign some books.

Hi, I am your biggest fan I love your Alice- Miranda series I am up to Alice-Miranda takes the lead and I can not wait till the twins are born, did anything inspire you to do the twins. I know many people at Berwick/Casey, Melbourne, who you are there hero.

Love your #1 fan Leah Membrey

P.S for my 11th birthday party a.k.a next year my theme is Alice-Miranda

Thanks for your lovely message. I am thrilled that you’re enjoying the books. Did you know that there are Alice-Miranda birthday invitations on the website? And you can submit your party pics and a report and they will go on the blog! I can’t wait to hear all about your party.

I am really excited for Alice-Miranda in the Alps. I clicked the link for your interview and I tried to watch your interview but it said stream error. I really want to watch it but I can’t. Do you know why it’s not working? Thank you. Love from your #1 Alice-Miranda fan, Georgie Mallyon.

i can not believe it i have been waiting forever since i had finished my collection of the Alice-Miranda books .in my Alice-Miranda 2015 diary it said it will come out on 1st of august so i hope that was wrong
love from a brilliant reader your sincerely ARIELLE HAYLEY JADE EADES

Alice-Miranda skis in the book but Millie and Lucas try snowboarding. I love Anne’s drawings too – she’s very clever. Yes I did go to Switzerland to do the research for the book and I actually went on exactly the same trip as Alice-Miranda (well almost – I didn’t fly on a private jet and I didn’t see the White Racing on the lake but my husband has been to that before). It was lots of fun going there last December.

hi ms harvey i love your alice-miranda and clemintine-rose series i dressed up as as alice miranda at sea this year for the book parade at school I hope your books will light up lots of kids words this year. can’t wait for for tip alice- miranda goes to the alps

– Meika

P.S i am up to alice-miranda at the plaice and I’ve only read the first clementine-rose book but it is amazing.

I’m so glad that you’re enjoying the books. I hope you have a picture of your dress up outfit and sign up to the newsletter and enter it in this month’s competition for Book Week – there are loads of great prizes to be won. Alice-Miranda in the Alps is out in 5 days!

Hi Jacqueline!
Congrats on your tenth book! WOW! I’m really looking forward to reading it and so are all of my other friends! I have been reading the Alice-Miranda series for a long time now and you and your fabulous books have inspired me to start writing novels! Keep up the amazing work, from Gen

I got Alice-Miranda In The Alps just yesterday!!!
I can not wait to read it!!!
I can sense it’s as good as it looks!!!

Best Wishes
Callie xx

P.S I dressed up as Miss. Hepzibah for book week, and it went REALLY well. I told my friends to call me Hepzi for short 🙂
P.P.S I ALMOST GOT THE FIRST PACK OF CLEMENTINE-ROSE BUT WE COULDN’T AND MY DAD SAID ‘It’s either Alice-Miranda In The Alps, or the first six pack of Clementine-Rose’, but mum told me next time we come we can get the Clementine-Rose book so I got Alice-Miranda In The Alps. I have got the 7th and the 8th book of Clementine-Rose (Clementine-Rose And The Famous Friend)(Clementine-Rose And The Ballet Break In)
P.P.P.S I saw one of your posters that you signed at my school library, the Alice-Miranda In The Alps One??? Well It was the same one you gave me and it’s just next to my bed on the wall 🙂

I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book. Have you got a picture of you dressed up? I’d love to have you enter the newsletter competition on the website to win a lots of great prizes! Thanks for letting me know that the books are already out there in the world. I’m doing a signing tomorrow at midday at Dymocks at Castle Towers in Sydney. Your parents are very generous letting you get so many books.

I was so excited when I heard Alice-Miranda in the Alps was out and for sale at our school Book Fair. It sold out so I had to get one ordered for me!! I can’t wait until I get it. In the mean time, my mum bought me Alice-Miranda at the Palace and I am really enjoying reading it.

I dressed up as Alice-Miranda for Book Week and everyone said I looked like her!

I met you at one of your book signings recently and look forward to meeting you again soon.

How exciting that the book was at the book fair but disappointing that they sold out! I hope you get it soon. I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying Alice-Miranda at the Palace – I’d love to know what it is that you like about the story. Did you send me a picture of you dressed up for Book Week? I’ve had a competition on the newsletter for dress ups this month and am about to decide the winners very soon.

I hope to see you again soon too – I’m out and about in Sydney a bit over the next few weeks so if you live close to any events perhaps I will see you.

Hi Jacqueline
In my school we had a writing competition for book week and I won. The winner got to choose a book from the book fair and I chose Alice Miranda in the alps, I can’t believe I got it a week early, and it was amazing
Never stop writing
Samantha

Hey Jacqueline,
I absolutely your Alice – Miranda books!
I have read nearly every single one, I still have to get Alice – Miranda In Paris and Alice – Miranda At Camp. Also I obviously have to get Alice – Miranda In The Alps, which I can’t wait for it to come out!
Your books are the BEST BOOKS EVER!

Love your biggest, #1 Fan,
Anastasia Montgomery
P.S I hope you have a great time continuing The NEW Alice – Miranda book you are going to write about: Alice – Miranda To a The Rescue!

I finished the draft of Alice-Miranda to the Rescue last night! It’s way too long so my editor is going to have to help me prune it back but it’s lots of fun and there are some very funny characters and dogs too. Thanks for your kind words about the books – I hope you get to read all of them.

Dear Jacqueline
I think you are one of the best writers ever and I can not wait for Alice Miranda in the alps to come out!
I was wondering if you were planning to come out to Wagga Wagga soon?
Thank you
Paige

Alice-Miranda in the Alps is out today! I’m so excited that you can read it now. I’d love to come to Wagga and will talk to my publicist about trying to get there next year. Thanks for your kind words – hope you get to read the book soon.

Best wishes,
Jacqueline

PS Can I ask what it is that you like about the stories? I love to know what it is that makes children like you enjoy the books.

Dear Jacqueline i love the books so much because there is so much mystery in so many different places. my favourite books in the series are alice miranda on holiday and alice miranda in new york. from paige

I love your books!! They light up my world so brightly that I can’t see! I’m hopefully going to get Alice-Miranda in the Alps this week. I can’t wait to read it. I wish you all the best in finishing Alice-Miranda to the Rescue and Alice-Miranda 14.

As for Clementine Rose, I got Clementine Rose and the Birthday Emergency at your Melbourne High Tea and finished it that day! I love the way you plotted the story and how you set up all the twists.

Love your #1 fan,
Timna

PS: I entered the Write4Fun writing competition this year. The results are coming out this Sunday. The last competition I entered, I got my work published in a book!

Lovely to hear from you. I hope you get to read the new book soon too. I’ve finished the draft for Alice-Miranda to the Rescue and I’ve just started (today) working on a new Clementine Rose adventure. It’s called Clementine Rose and the Special Promise and I think it’s going to be lots of fun.

All the best with the writing competition – let me know how you go.

Thanks for being such a gorgeous girl – you are very kind.
Jacqueline xx

After school I went straight to my nearest bookstore to find AM in the alps, but they didn’t have it so I went to another book store and another and too many too count, and they sadly didn’t have AM in the alps! So I’m ordering it instead 🙂 I am so excited! Happy release! Can’t wait!

Can’t wait for AM to the rescue! (I think that’s going to be the Am adventure)

Hi Jacqueline,
It is nice to talk to you again. I am really exited for Alice Miranda in the Alps. It is my birthday on the 17 of Sep, so I think mum will buy it for me. Guess what. I moved to Ballarat. I really want to dress up as Alice Miranda for book week, but I don’t know where I am going to get a sparkly purple dress with a pink ribbon, a tiara or a silver handbag!! I can probably go to Kmart for the silver flats. Can you guess which Alice Miranda I want to go as? I really like talking to you, so please do reply.
From Lyla

Love to hear from you. I hope you get Alice-Miranda in the Alps too! That’s exciting about moving to Ballarat. Are you enjoying your new school? Your ideas for Alice-Miranda’s costume sound a bit like the Palace I think! It soudns great.

Have a fantastic time at your Book Week celebrations and Happy Birthday for the 17th!

Hi Jacqueline,
Good job on the guessing. I do want to go as the Alice Miranda in the Palace!! I really am enjoying my new school. I’ve made so much new friends!! Are you still having your high tea’s? Thanks so much for replying and I hope to talk to you again soon. Bye!
From Lyla

our school is having a book fair and am at the palace and 2 clementine books are there
for book week we had to write our favourite series and i wrote Alice-Miranda
whats book 14 going to `be about
sorry if i ask soo much questions

The newsletter will hopefully be out this evening. I’ve had a hectic week of writing and school events and my husband is the one who helps me put it all together so he’s doing that now. AM 14 – I’m not 100% sure but I suspect that it will be set in China and Hong Kong. But watch this space for announcements in a little while.

Hi Jacqueline,
I finished reading Alice Miranda in the alps and it is AMAZING you are such a talented writer and I love your books I can’t wait till your next one comes out even though you only released one 5 days ago, they are just so awesome!

Ps. Alice Miranda in the alps is my favourite because,y family and I love skiing so it was awesome reading a book about it. Also I loved it even more because one of the ski instructors in Zermatt was called Michaela

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback on the book. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it. It was fun to write and being a skier myself it was great to imagine the adventures Alice-Miranda and her friends would have. I’ve just finished the draft for Alice-Miranda to the Rescue which is all about dogs and dog rescues and a dog show (dog shows are hilarious). That will be out in February.

Hi Jacqueline,
I can’t wait until Alice Miranda to the rescue comes out I love dogs myself and my dog is hilarious sometimes even though he would never be able to enter a dog show he is much too disobedient. I’m super excited about no. 13 and can’t wait for it to be released

i saw Alice-Miranda to the rescues cover
and clementine rose and the special promises cover
your illustrator is so talented
i can’t believe there’s a dog show
i wonder the adventures Alice-Miranda has with her friend who visits

Hi, I love ALL your Alice Miranda and Clementine Rose books…yes I’ve read ALL of them and when Alice Miranda In The Alps cam out in my local bookstore, I was jumping about the whole store! I have read 3 chapters already!
I am hoping that one day you’ll come to Wagga Wagga!

I love your books and PLEASE never stop writing, becuase you are amazing!
My friend, Vienna and I would love you to send us an autograph!

That’s great your local bookstore had the new book already and that you’ve read 3 chapters! I would love to come to Wagga next year and am asking my publicist to see if we can make it happen. I will see what I can do about an autograph 🙂

Hi Ms Harvey,
Sorry to bother you but i was wondering about a few things. Q1. When is the next book coming out ( the one after A.M in the Alps)? Q2. In A.M in the Alps Millie says that she will keep Lucas’s secret after he called Jacinta his Angel. Does that mean that Lucas officially likes Cinta, or is it just in my dreams? Q3. Apparently It is Jacinta’s birthday in the next one, am i incorrect? Q4. Also, i read a blog on the web sight about how you might do a school dance, is that true? Q5. Does Caprice like Lucas? Because in A.M at the palace when they were locked in the tower Lucas tells Caprice to be quiet and she gets offended. But when anyone else says anything she doesn’t care. If Caprice does like Lucas and so does Jacinta then they could get into a huge cat fight! That would be so amazing! O.S in case you didn’t notice i am a huge Lucinta fan.
Thank you for reading this,it is very long (sorry about that, i’m kinda obsessed and am on the alice miranda wed sight every day to check for updates ) I’ll leave the writing to you.

Many thanks for writing the series and making my whole life better.
Maya

The next book is called Alice-Miranda to the Rescue and it will be out in February 2016. Jacinta and Lucas are definitely getting much closer and I think although they’re not officially boyfriend and girlfriend, they are sweet on one another. I think Sloane liked Lucas to begin with but she’s realised he’s off limits although your idea is interesting. I’ll have to go back and see what I wrote about the school dance – that’s a great idea though and I can see the two schools getting together for something like that. I’m glad you’re a huge Lucinda fan (especially because she has grown and changed so much from being the school’s second best tantrum thrower into a lovely young girl!!).

Best wishes and thanks for your kind words – I’m glad that you’re enjoying the stories.

YAY, i can’t wait until February! Me and one of my Best friends Olivia are huge fans and have come up with a plot of our own to make fan fiction from it. It’s based in Hawaii and Addison Goldsworthy’s company want to steal Mrs Oliver’s Language Pills! Caprice is there as-well as her mother is filming a tropical ‘Sweet things’. Cecelia, Hugh and Mrs Oliver get set up to look as though they are stealing and get sent to jail. All alone in their special huts on the beech the kids are in danger as Jacinta doesn’t know that Mrs Oliver’s pills are in her jacket pocket! Jezza and Nigel break out of jail and want revenge. There is a strange fisherman who seems to be following them. It should be very interesting. A hint of romance of coarse, and someone even asks out Lucas only to get rejected ( Its not Jacinta ).

I love love love your idea! It’s fantastic. I think you should definitely write the story. I’m intrigued about who Lucas rejects too. I wonder if I should think about writing the books until the girls are well into their teens 🙂

Oh! That would be a complete dream come true! I think all of your fans would absolutely love that! I can’t imagine the books ever stopping. I think I’ll still be old, sitting in my rocking chair (or whatever they sit in then ) and reading and re-reading all the Alice-Miranda books. I’m actually in year seven now so that would be quite a time away. The series seems to have everything in it.

It’s actually my birthday on the 15th of October and i’m turning thirteen. I’ve been thinking about the books and i’ve made sort of plan of when everything is happening starting with the first book in the first term, and then holidays, then term 2, then holidays, then term 3 mid term holiday to new york, then term 3 carnival, then term 4 paris trip ( unless i’m wrong, there would be a very busy second semester) , then term 4 school expansion plans, then Japanese holidays, then then back to school with a camp trip in term 1, then off to the palace during the holidays, then skip a book in term 2 ( because at the start of alice-mirandain the alps millie mentions that they had another term with caprice bragging about filming sweet things ), Half yearly holidays in the alps, then start term 3 off back at school for alice-miranda to the rescue. Which, if i am not mistaken, should be early october (around my birthday). I’ve heard a bit of information that might be a rumour, but i’m not sure. The rumour is that in Alice-Miranda to the rescue it is Jacinta’s thirteenth birthday, which would be around mine. If it’s true, and i’m not sure if it is. OH, actually i just realised that my calculations are probably wrong because at the beginning of Alice-Miranda in the Palace the end of year citizenship awards are given out which means it would be summer holidays then. But in Alice-Miranda in Japan at the begging cecelia says that they would go to the palace at the half year break, instead of the summer break because queen Georgiana was busy. Which means that my original theory would still be wrong because i thought they went to the Alps in the Half year break. Hmm. Now i’m confused. I have completely wasted a whole post with blabbering.

Dear Maya Kalodikis,
Your fanfiction sounds really amazing! I love fanfiction almost as much as the books (but not quite). I am in Year 6 and am interested in reading your fanfiction. Please could you reply to my reply and add the website thing?
Thank you! From Holly

Hi, Miss Harvey!
I love, love your books! My favourite is probably Alice-Miranda At The Palace! That’s because one of th twins has the same name as me! Could tell me where you got the idea for this name from? I also love Alice-Miranda in the alps because I love skiing!
Please reply and answer my questions! I will try to talk again if i have more questions!
From Imogen, a very big fan!

P.S I read what Maya posted and think that you should keep writing the books as long as possible! It would make many dpfans happy! I also think Jacinta and Lucas should become a thing! Because Lucas isn’t getting embarrassed anymore and Jacinta (I think) likes him more! Ok that’s it! Haha!

I have always loved the name Imogen. I’ve taught a few girls called Imogen and they have always been lovely. It was always on the top of my list if I’d ever had a baby girl – sadly that never happened but I thought I could name Charlotte’s little girl Imogen. So that’s it 🙂